Cabinet Nod For Rs 63,000-Cr Deal For 26 Rafale Jets

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cleared the Rs63,000 crore government-to-government deal with France to buy 26 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Navy, senior officials said.

The deal includes 22 single-seater aircraft and four twin-seater variants, designed specifically for the maritime requirement of the Indian Navy as China increasingly flexes its muscle in the Indo-Pacific region. The Rafale procurement will include weapons, simulator, spares, associated ancillary equipment, crew training and logistics support for the Indian Navy from the French government.

The 26 Rafale-M jets for the Navy, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, are expected to be delivered within 37 to 65 months after the final contract is signed in the coming weeks. The delivery of all the planes is scheduled to be completed by 2030-31, a senior official said.

The deal will also ensure logistics support and spares for the 36 Rafale fighter jets already inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2016 under an earlier Rs59,000 crore deal with France. These Rafale jets comprise two squadrons in the IAF.

The first Rafale squadron is based at Ambala Air Force Station. The second Rafale squadron is based at Hasimara Air Force Station in West Bengal, near the China border. The Rafale squadrons are intended to enhance India’s air power, in the eastern sector, to counter China, and also on the western front against Pakistan.